• Image courtesy of shutterstock.com

If you're one of the first 1,200 attendees through the door, you'll get free books for kids in Spanish and free backpacks.

It's the sixth annual Bilingual Literacy Fair, Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon at the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center, 101 West Irvington Road.

Story time readings will be held in both English and Spanish. Art projects, face painting, free snacks and other educational activities will be available as well.

I think by allowing a signup through Facebook, I might have just given up my personal information in exchange for the opportunity to RSVP for a concert, but hey, I really want to see Classixx again. A DJ/production duo from LA, Classixx have played Tucson before, but they're returning to Club Congress on August 28 for a Red Bull sponsored show, with Superhumanoids, Hustle & Drone and The Flavr Blue. The show's 18 and over, but if you want to go, visit Red Bull's site for the show, exchange some personal info, pledge your eternal devotion to energy drinks, and there you go. Free concerts, yay!

Following five district ribbon-cuttings along the Sun Link Modern Streetcar route, the Grand Opening celebration ended this morning at 10:00 a.m. on Congress Street and Fifth Avenue as a streetcar full of dignitaries was escorted by the Pride of Arizona Pep Band, Tucson Fire Department and the Tucson Police Department.

• JAMES HUDSON

The event was emceed by Brent Davis, former City Council Member. Speakers included Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, acting Federal Transit Administration Deputy Administrator Dorval Carter, City Manager Richard Miranda, University of Arizona President Ann Weaver Hart, Arizona State Transportation Board Chair Steve Christy, Arizona Senator Steve Farley, and Former City of Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup.

• JAMES HUDSON

The events proceed the beginning of a three-day, five-district celebration of the streetcar launch. The Downtown Tucson district's "Summer in the City" party will center around the 5th Ave and Congress St. intersection and begin around 5:00 p.m. at a pop-up beach in the empty MLK lot across from Hotel Congress.

There are approximately 6,895 events happening in Tucson this weekend between the various streetcar festivities, FC Tucson's playoff run, the opening of Pizzeria Bianco, etc, but if you enjoy good causes, dancing and food (and who doesn't?), add Sol Axe's Monsoon Mania 2014 tribute to Soul Train tomorrow night to your list of things to do.

Sol Axe is a reformed version of Afro-Brazilian celebrators Batucaxe, although with the added benefit of being under the Many Mouths, One Stomach umbrella, so now dancing and having a samba-filled good time also helps All Souls happen.

The event promises family-friendly fun, food trucks, performance and DJ sets, the ability to sign up for The All Souls Processions Night of 1000 Parties and of course, the opportunity to dance in a Soul Train line, which is a magical experience any time.

Monsoon Mania 2014 is Saturday, July 26 from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Rhythm Industry Performance Factory at 1013 S. Tyndall Ave. The suggested donation is $10. More info can be found at Sol Axe's Facebook page at facebook.com/SolAxeTucson.

If you're a fan of Café 54 and have enjoyed a lunch or two there, or enjoyed one of their catered events (I'm telling you, the roasted beet salad, when on the menu, makes me very happy. Pistachios and beets = beautiful combination), then you know that part of eating at the downtown spot off Pennington Road is taking in the art work hanging on walls.

The local spot is part of the good work folks are doing there to help people recovering from mental illness and the art figures into that, too. If you love celebrating and patronizing local business like we do at Weekly World Central, then you'll like this: Sarnoff's Art Supplies partners with the cafe to furnish art supplies at a discounted rate for the artists in the Café 54 Art Foundation program.

The program was established to provide and assist folks recovering from mental illness be able to express themselves through the creative arts. When you really love that beet salad or whatever it is you love at the cafe, you leave a tip (you better leave a tip)—your gratuity goes to the Art Foundation Fund and that fund supplies art supply scholarships to those recovering from mental illness currently working with behavioral health programs and want to express themselves through art.

Those who participate in the art fund are invited to show their work at the cafe—work selected is showcased for sale and all the proceeds go to the artist.

You can see the current show, Tangible Transformations, which goes through Sept. 26. However, on Saturday, August 9, from 5 to 8 p.m., there will be a celebration with live music, a wearable art fashion show, performance art—and yes, yummy food and refreshments. There will also be a raffle with prizes donated by local artists and business—benefiting the Café 54 Art Foundation. The entire evening is open to the public and admission is free.

So get to Café 54. Celebrate. Take in some art. Think local. And buy some art.

In this week's issue we follow-up from where our cover story left off on marijuana/PTSD researcher and UA assistant professor Sue Sisley and her termination from the UA. After going to press, an announcement went out that a group of veterans assembled at the UA College of Medicine in Phoenix and an Arizona Board of Regents meeting on Tuesday, July 2 to demand Sisley be reinstated.

From a press release sent by Sisley's research sponsor, http://www.maps.org/Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, MAPS:

Were it not for the efforts of Dr. Sisley over the last several years, this research for veterans would not exist. MAPS, the non-profit study sponsor, has stated publicly that they will not continue this research at the University of Arizona without Dr. Sisley as the Principal Investigator.

Veterans and other PTSD patients will read letters urging the study to be implemented immediately with Dr. Sisley as Principal Investigator. Veterans will also read the appeal from Dr. Sisley’s legal team and hand-deliver this letter to both:

1) Dr. Stuart Flynn, Dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix at 1:00 pm
2) Eileen Klein, President, Arizona Board of Regents at 2:00 pm

The petition has collected almost 74,000 signatures and has more than 1,500 to go to reach Pereyda's goal. Each signature send this message to UA President Ann Weaver Hart:

To: Ann Weaver Hart, President, University of Arizona
Arizona Board Of Regents
I am absolutely outraged that the university has elected not to continue Dr. Suzanne Sisley’s academic appointment after September 27th.

I implore you to reverse your decision and support Dr. Sisley’s federally approved research to study use of medical marijuana by veterans with treatment-resistant PTSD.

Renew Dr. Sisley’s academic appointment immediately and provide the physical resources necessary to start this clinical trial. Support the core principle of academic freedom and immediately rectify the unjust, immoral and unpatriotic termination of Dr. Sisley.

Don’t turn your back on Veterans. Conduct the research.
Sincerely,
[Your name]

Here are several documents we promised to post on the Range:

The July 9 letter from the UA to Sisely on her termination

070914SisleyLetter.pdf

The letter from Sisley's research sponsor, MAPS, to the UA

Letter_from_MAPS_to_UA.pdf

Sisley's appeal to the UA

Sisley_Appeal_to_UofA__1_.pdf

The Weekly will continue to follow the story and Sisley's appeal process.

• JAMES HUDSON
• Downtown's faux beach during its construction Thursday morning. It will remain for public use through Labor Day weekend.

Over 170 tons of sand has been shooting over 5th Avenue and Toole into the empty MLK lot across from Hotel Congress this week, bringing the beach to Tucson as part of this weekend's Sun Link celebration of the Modern Streetcar Launch.The Downtown Tucson party, dubbed Summer in the City, starts Friday, July 25 at 4:00 p.m., and is one of five separately themed events each of the districts along the streetcar's route have planned. The celebrations will follow a series of ribbon cutting ceremonies, which kick off at 7:00 a.m. at Mercado San Agustin and conclude along Congress street with a procession that will feature a streetcar escort by the UA Pride of Arizona.

• JAMES HUDSON
• This machine will be spraying hand sanitizer following Saturday's Wet Hot American Block Party.

Starting Friday at 10:00 a.m. and running through Sunday, July 27, riders will be able to jump on the streetcar and enjoy unlimited rides at no charge. Over at the Summer Beach Party in the MLK lot on Friday beginning at 4:00 p.m., passengers can take a pit-stop for a cool one at the shaded beer garden; build sand castles; pick up a game of volleyball or ping pong; or grab a cup of Kona Berri frozen yogurt with food from a rotating cast of local food trucks.

• Tom Walbank

Friday's live music at the Summer in the City party kicks off at 5:00 p.m. with Sticks & Fingers's steel drum-infused Caribbean vibes, followed by retro-psych-desert-rockers The Modeens; classic rock cover band No Reply; and Delta bluesman Tom Walbank closes out the night from 9:30 to 11:00 p.m. with harmonica solos that will rival downtown's passing locomotives.

• JAMES HUDSON

Each district will be hosting a weekend full of events and entertainment centering around a specific theme. Mercado San Agustin’s theme will be Fiesta in the City (aka “Streetcar Named Deseo”), with Latin-flavored music, food and fun. Fourth Avenue’s Soul in the City party will focus on the area’s history as a destination for a uniquely Tucson experience. Sidewalk sales from 4th Ave's eclectic merchants will dot the main strip; live music plus food and drink specials for all ages at the avenue's restaurants and bars. Main Gate Square's Jazzed in the City will fill the air with jazz music from performers of all ages, in addition to specials from all the merchants, restaurants and bars up and down the university area. The University of Arizona campus is appropriately calling its celebration Art and Culture in the City, with several museums and the Flandrau Science Center offering discounted or free admission all weekend.

• Photo by Paul Sableman, under Creative Commons license

Heading into La Cocina or possibly just wandering downtown, you might have walked by the painted wall above for El Rapido Mexican Food, formerly a great place to get a tamale, but vacant for awhile. However, if you have $325,000 and probably a lot of money to spend on renovations, the building at 220 N. Meyer Ave. could be all yours. The online MLS listing has 32 photos to scroll through, showing the various parts of the complex, which still has a stove hood and a dishwashing station, for either your commercial or somewhat ambitious residential needs.

From the listing:

Seller Motivated!! Rare 1880's Presidio Adobe home, beauty parlor and restaurant just North of the Tucson Museum of Art. Stunning original live work space includes famous Tucson tamale locale: El Rapido on W Washington. 13' ceilings, glorious zaguan room, original wood floors, windows, trim, several entrances on Meyer, corner lot where everything that still stands is Tucson's history. Call Listing Agents for Easy Appointments to Show. Zoned HC3 with multiple possibilities in the Center of Historic Tucson.

If you interested in buying the property (for me or selfishly for your own needs), contact the agent, Patty Sue Anderson.